


Just A Moment Longer

by ThePrimeOne



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Dorks in Love, F/M, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, Ocean, Petrashe Week 2020, Post-Canon, Swimming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:46:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26936854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePrimeOne/pseuds/ThePrimeOne
Summary: Ashe and Petra both know they have have much in the way of work ahead of them, and learned to make the most of any break they were given.Or, a small glimpse into an afternoon with Ashe and Petra post-canon.
Relationships: Ashe Duran | Ashe Ubert/Petra Macneary
Comments: 1
Kudos: 25





	Just A Moment Longer

**Author's Note:**

> My day 1-3 fics for Petrashe Week disappeared from my Google Drive on me so you get this unfortunate 1 hour and a half rewrite for Day 1 instead, which hardly counts, but it's not the end of the world, thankfully.

Despite the few moments of reprieve he had, Ashe couldn't help but begin to feel early symptoms of the stress that would come from his future position as Future Queen Petra Macneary's Guardian Knight and leader of the Blue Sun. It made him grateful for any moment he got to relax even more than the war, at times. 

But all that work could wait, just for one afternoon, or hopefully, an evening. Anything for just a moment longer.

In the late hours of the afternoon, Ashe found himself floating calmly on his back off the shore of Brigid's main island. The heat bore down on him from above as the cool water surrounding him kept his body temperature in check. The young man stared up at the sky, careful not glance into the glaring sun directly as he ruminated over thoughts he had kept to the back of his mind for some time.

_ It's so hot today _ .  _ Nothing like it was back at home, or even Garreg Mach, _ Ashe thought, his gaze passing over cloud formations in the sky that covered the sun.  _ I'd love to show my brother and sister what Brigid is like. Though I'm not sure if they'd appreciate the heat,  _ he mused to himself with a smile.

It had only been a few weeks since he arrived in Brigid at Petra's side, a few weeks since they'd made emotional farewells those who they'd bonded with during the war, and a few weeks since Ashe exchanged tear-jerking farewells with his siblings. The two of them vowed to oversee and protect Gaspard in his stead and forced him to promise to revisit his old home sometime. He'd didn't know when he could fulfil such a promise, but Ashe knew he had to. It didn't help he missed his comrades dearly at times as well.

Ever since he'd arrived, Ashe knew he'd have a difficult time adjusting. The weather favoured the heat heavily, and while not as hot as their battle at Aillel, it was enough for Ashe to almost pass out during his first week in his new home.

One of the few good things that came from it, he supposed, was finding out his skin was thankfully more adept at dealing with prolonged exposure to the sun than he or Petra had expected. Freckles began to be visibly produced on his body to protect him from the sun whenever Petra had dragged him out to the ocean to swim with her.

Still, Petra had warned him that prolonged exposure to Brigid's sun without some manner of adequate protection would not bode well for him. He heeded her words and took the necessary steps to protect himself. But of course, today just happened to be the day where he got ahead of himself, wherein Brigid's summer sun decided to grace the archipelago with the full force of its might.

The water around Ashe shifted back and forth, pulling and pushing his relaxed body a little further out to sea, Ashe unaware that a certain someone approached him nearby. The water near him shifted unnaturally, and Ashe saw, but a glimpse of a person nearby before a wave of water crashed onto his face. 

Ashe sputtered in surprise, shaking his head and wiping the excess water thrown at his face. Ashe placed his feet on the sandy floor and gaped at the instigator, Petra Macneary standing before wearing a white two-piece swimsuit that made it hard to look away. She looked upon him with an innocent grin and hands on her hips.

"P-Petra!" Ashe exclaimed in shock. "What was that for?"

The Princess tilted her head, feigning confusion. "I was saying hello, of course. That is one of many ways to be greeting someone in Brigid."

Ashe raised an eyebrow and stared at her with an unbelieving expression before he forced his lips into a flat line as if he were contemplating what she said. The future Guardian Knight nodded. "Oh. I see. I didn't know that."

Petra furrowed her brow and shook her head. "Ashe, I… ah!" 

Ashe jerked his hands back and thrust it forward towards Petra, creating a tremendous wave of water that hit Petra off-guard as she spat out some of the saltwater she almost swallowed. The Princess looked back at Ashe and grinned like a Chesire cat and splashed water back at him. He matched her wave, splashing water back at Petra again. The two of them engaged in a seemingly never-ending match of water splashing as if to further make up for the lost time in the five years before their initial reunion and the year they spent the latter end of the war without a word spoken between them.

Eventually, their splashing came to an eventual end when Ashe lost his footing and stumbled into the water, bringing Petra down with him. They quickly came back above water with sputtered coughs and laughter, without a care in the world. Suddenly, Petra, with her smile deterred, grabbed lightly onto Ashe's hand and tugged him back towards the shoreline.

"Ashe. The ocean spirit… It is feeling unrest."

"Wait, you can tell?"

"Yes. We can communicate with the spirits. The ocean spirit is rather unstable. I am unsure if it will be safe to be here for much longer."

"Wow. Can you really tell all of that from communing with the spirits? That's incredible, Petra," he said in cautious awe, still wary of the subject of ghosts and spirits.

"You have my gratitude, Ashe. If you are not careful, you may be washed away by the sea," Petra warned him. "I am wanting you to stay by my side to be my Guardian Knight. I will not ever give you up to the ocean's spirit. I will be protecting you just as you are protecting me," she said solemnly, her hand gripped around his with more force than before. His jaw dropped open at her quiet declaration, face covered in an intense red blush. 

"Also, I have some food you might be liking to eat," Petra's mood rose, and enthusiastically pulled him along. Ashe didn't bother resisting, as if he could ever with her.

"Sure, Petra, I'd love to try some," Ashe agreed, walking through the water and up to the small dunes of sand that covered the beach. He absolutely adored Brigid cuisine, so he could hardly pass up the opportunity to eat whatever his new home had to offer. The two trudged along the beach and out of the water. They walked beyond the sand and towards a blanket covered by two towels that awaited them under cover of massive palm trees that towered above them, with food in a medium-sized basket.

Petra motioned for him to sit across from him, Ashe occupying the spot for him. He sat down carefully and drummed his fingers against his leg, eager to eat having skipped lunch to help Petra with training and some other miscellaneous duties. The Queen-to-be placed the basket between them and reached down to open it, but not before she stopped midway. Her hand hovered in mid-air before she folded her arms.

"Ashe. Please take off your shirt."

The man blinked at Petra, processing her question internally. He felt a blush reach across his cheeks. He knew Petra was quite forward, but even this seemed like a bit much.

"W-why?" he stuttered, caught off guard by her request. 

"I am wanting to see something," she responded.

Ashe cleared his throat. "W-well, OK, then. It's nothing you haven't seen before, but if you really insist…"

The young man took off his shirt and held it in his hand. Ashe glanced at Petra but immediately noticed her squint. Typically such demands were made under significantly different circumstances, with a glint in her eye that gave away a carnal hunger she often suppressed, one only he had the opportunity to see. 

Petra instead frowned deeply, and Ashe immediately knew he was in trouble.

"Ashe. Please have honesty with me," came her stern voice that sounded like an order more than a request. She reached into the basket and placed a small container in his lap, containing a translucent oil that made Ashe's stomach drop. "Did you put the oil on your skin when I was suggesting it?"

_ Oh. That. _

"Yes, I did," Ashe answered truthfully.

"Were you reapplying like I was suggesting?" she challenged again.

Ashe down at the container, then back up at Petra.

"Um… maybe?" Ashe nervously grinned.

A response which in turn resulted in Ashe finding himself lying face down on the blanket bearing the brunt of the sheer embarrassment hearing Petra chastise him as she rubbed oil from a plant that grew in Brigid on his bright red neck, shoulders and back.

"I cannot believe you, Ashe," Petra scoffed, rubbing her hands into Ashe's reddened shoulders. The young man winced in pain from the contact, sending pain through his shoulders that he slightly felt in his arms. "I was telling you it is being hot today, and that the sun would be bearing all of its strength until it is night. Why are you not listening to me?" the soon to be Queen of Brigid frowned deeply.

Ashe sighed and looked out to sea. "Petra I used it I promise," Ashe groaned. "I just didn't think to reapply any. I didn't think it'd be that bad is all," Petra's Guardian Knight, cheeks red from embarrassment rather than burns, though it was hard to tell due to how intense his blush was.

"Do you not trust my word?" she asked, sounding almost sad.

Ashe's eyes widened, alarmed. "W-what?! No, no, of course not! I mean, I do trust your word," he quickly reiterated. "But I just… got careless, I guess. I didn't think it'd be _that_ bad," Ashe mumbled. He fiercely shut his eyes when her hands pressed on his burnt skin again.

"Ashe, please be more careful," Petra admonished him harshly. "You must be taking care of yourself. Your body is not used to Brigid's weather yet."

"I know that," mumbled Ashe in response and Ashe could almost feel the eye roll he received silently as an immediate response.

"Then why am I needing to be rubbing your back with oil?" Petra shot back. Ashe shivered as she ran her hands down Ashe's sides where the affected area began going back to normal. He opened his mouth to speak but didn't bother responding.

"I am glad you have understanding, Mr Ubert," she teased him with an edge of sarcasm, her voice taking on that of a snobby Fodlan noble. Before Ashe could chuckle at her impression, a hand slapped his ass as Petra stood up and left the container at his side. "Now get up, quick!"

"H-hey!" exclaimed Ashe, trying his best to sound upset, betrayed by the silly grin on his face.

"Oh, please do not be saying anything. When we are making love, you are always doing such things to me," Petra scoffed again, her impression of a snobby noble falling apart as she burst into a fit of giggles.

Ashe chuckled along with her and sat back down in his previously claimed spot. He rubbed oil on the burnt skin on his chest and cautiously looked up at Petra. "You're the one that encourages me to do it…"

"Hush," Petra interrupted him. "Now sit, and do the rest please," Petra asked him kindly, eyeing his shirtless form not so subtly. Such a thing would generally fluster him greatly, and it still did to a certain degree, but he appreciated the attention she positively appraised him with more than ever. 

Once finished, he wiped his hands clean with a spare cloth and placed the container down between them. Ashe put his shirt back on and shrugged. "See? Done. Now may we eat, Your Majesty?" he poked fun at her, copying the snobbish tone she used earlier.

"Yes, we shall," she said delightfully,  _ finally _ opening the basket to reveal goodies both familiar and new, some from Brigid, some from Fodlan. The two fell into a sense of comforting silence as they ate, occasionally speaking about their days and reminiscing of days long past. Ashe dug into some of the diced mango Petra bought with her, staring out to the sea. He turned his head back to her direction on a whim, his best friend, lover, and future Queen staring loving at his features.

"Petra? Is there something on my face?" he curiously wondered.

"Yes," she simply responded with a firm nod. The young woman stood up and took a seat at his side.

"Yes? W-what is it?" Ashe asked, unsure.

"Your freckles. You are having more of them."

"Oh yeah? Well, that's what happens when I'm out in the sun for as long as I was today."

"The only good thing from your burnt skin I am thinking," she smiled. Ashe eyes furrowed, confused. Before he could ask her what she meant, Petra leaned up and pressed her lips to his cheeks in a chaste kiss. She leaned away from his cheek and leaned on his arm. "They are quite wonderful, I am thinking. I enjoy them very much."

"...Oh," Ashe replied bashfully at her sincere tone.

"That is… not being strange?" Petra carefully questioned him.

"N-no, of course not," he shook his head. "I'm glad you like them. It means a lot. A-and, it's a nice confidence boost too."

Petra sighed relieved. "I have much relief to be hearing that, Ashe."

No words were exchanged between them from that moment onward. Petra's hand crept into Ashe's, both grasping the other's hand tightly. She carefully leaned her head onto his shoulder lightly. She stared out towards the horizon with him, towards the setting sun that coloured the sky with beautiful shades yellows and oranges, a sharp contrast against the dark clouds that began to gather ahead.

They both knew they had a great deal of work ahead of them, but that could all wait, just for one afternoon. 

Just for one evening. 

Just a moment longer.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope it was somewhat enjoyable, at least. Comments and kudos are appreciated as always.


End file.
